WEBVTT This dash cam video from October 13th shows how close a state trooper comes to a wrong way driver! <VIDEO NATS> The man was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of I-35 for 20 miles - before a trooper stopped him just north of Mills Civic. <LUCKILY NOBODY GOT HURT IN THIS INCIDENT, BUT YOU LOOK OVER AND THE GUY JUST DIDN'T KNOW WHERE HE WAS AND HE'S AN ELDERLY GENTLEMAN.> State Patrol calls this a best case scenario. Normally wrong way drivers - turn into dangerous crashes. <YOU COULD HAVE VEHICLES GOING 80 MPH IN EACH DIRECTION WITH 160 MPH IMPACT. YOU CAN'T GET THERE FA ENOUGH. YOU JUST FEEL HELPLESS.> Frankie Sylalom is one of 3 people killed by a wrong way driver in Iowa in the past 3 weeks. The 31 year old Des Moines father died while driving home from work on November 10th. The State Patrol is investigating why the other driver was going the wrong way on the east mix master. <USUALLY IT'S ONE OF THREE THINGS - SOMEONE THAT'S IMPAIRED FROM ALCOHOL OR DRUGS, SOMEONE THAT'S ELDERLY OR SOMEONE THAT'S UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA.> With the holiday season approaching - troopers have this warning for anyone hitting the road: Don't drive drunk and also stop relying on your phone for GPS. <THEY ARE TOO BUSY WATCHING THAT, WATCHING THEIR PHONE AND JUST NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO STREET SIGNS.> <SGT. LUDWIG ALSO SUGGESTS PLANNING YOUR ROUTE OUT AHEAD OF TIME - ESPECIALLY IF IT'S AN AREA YOU DON'T KNOW WELL. THAT WAY YOU DON'T HAVE ANY CONFUSION WHILE YOU'RE ON THE INTERSTATE. IN DES MOINES, LAURA TERRELL, KCCI 8 NEWS, IOWA'S NEWS LEADER.> A follow up now - to

The Iowa State Patrol hopes that dashcam video showing a wrong-way driver’s close encounter with a trooper encourages motorists to pay more attention on the road. The video, taken Oct. 13, shows a state trooper stopping the man, who was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 for about 20 miles. An Iowa State Patrol trooper stopped him just north of Mills Civic Parkway. Authorities said the incident could have ended much worse, given that three people have been killed in wrong-way crashes on Iowa roads in just the past three weeks. “Luckily, nobody got hurt in this incident, but you look over and the guy just didn’t know where he was,” Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Nathan Ludwig said. “He’s an elderly gentleman.” State Patrol officials called it a best-case scenario because wrong-way drivers usually turn into dangerous crashes. “You could have vehicles going 80 mph in each direction with 160 mph impact,” Ludwig said. “You can’t get there fast enough. You just feel helpless.” Frankie Sylalom, a 31-year-old father from Des Moines, is one of three people killed by a wrong-way driver in Iowa in the past three weeks. He died while driving home from work on Nov. 10. Investigators are trying to determine why the other driver was going the wrong way on the east mixmaster. Ludwig said wrong-way crashes are usually caused by someone who is impaired from alcohol or drugs, someone who is elderly or someone who is unfamiliar with the area. With the busy holiday season approaching, troopers urge drivers to not drive drunk and stop relying on cellphones for GPS. “They are too busy watching that, watching their phone and just not paying attention to street signs,” Ludwig said.He also suggests that drivers plan out their routes ahead of time so they don’t have any confusion while on the interstate.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) —

The Iowa State Patrol hopes that dashcam video showing a wrong-way driver’s close encounter with a trooper encourages motorists to pay more attention on the road.

The video, taken Oct. 13, shows a state trooper stopping the man, who was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 for about 20 miles. An Iowa State Patrol trooper stopped him just north of Mills Civic Parkway.

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Authorities said the incident could have ended much worse, given that three people have been killed in wrong-way crashes on Iowa roads in just the past three weeks.

“Luckily, nobody got hurt in this incident, but you look over and the guy just didn’t know where he was,” Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Nathan Ludwig said. “He’s an elderly gentleman.”

State Patrol officials called it a best-case scenario because wrong-way drivers usually turn into dangerous crashes.

“You could have vehicles going 80 mph in each direction with 160 mph impact,” Ludwig said. “You can’t get there fast enough. You just feel helpless.”

Frankie Sylalom, a 31-year-old father from Des Moines, is one of three people killed by a wrong-way driver in Iowa in the past three weeks. He died while driving home from work on Nov. 10.

Investigators are trying to determine why the other driver was going the wrong way on the east mixmaster.

Ludwig said wrong-way crashes are usually caused by someone who is impaired from alcohol or drugs, someone who is elderly or someone who is unfamiliar with the area.

With the busy holiday season approaching, troopers urge drivers to not drive drunk and stop relying on cellphones for GPS.

“They are too busy watching that, watching their phone and just not paying attention to street signs,” Ludwig said.

He also suggests that drivers plan out their routes ahead of time so they don’t have any confusion while on the interstate.